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Funding criteria

There is a two part eligibility criteria process for social care and support – the social care assessment (see our eligibility criteria page) and then a financial assessment. Your care and support needs must be assessed first before there is any discussion about your finances.

The financial assessment will help us decide whether or not you have sufficient money to pay towards all or some of the care and support that you need. The financial assessment follows the government guidelines stated in The Care Act 2014, which gives councils discretionary power to charge adults reasonable amounts for care and support services.

The financial assessment helps us decide how much you will have to pay towards the cost of your care. We will discuss your financial circumstances with you in detail. We will also make an allowance which ensures that your income, after any contribution that you will have to make to the cost of the social care services you need will not fall below a minimum set level. There is also an allowance for any costs relating to any disability or illness that you may have.

If we work out that you need to contribute to your social care costs, we will tell you how much you will need to pay. Our contribution to the cost of your social care services will be paid to you as a personal budget.

Self funders

If you do not qualify for any funding support from us for your social care services you are known as a ‘self funder’. That means that you are paying for the full costs of your services yourself.

Our partner Safe and Settled offer an advice and support service for self funders. They can help people find the best care options for their circumstances. We work with this organisation to ensure that people who don't meet our eligibility criteria, or who are self funders, or who simply want to organise their own care and support, have access a to professional, expert, impartial care advice service.